


i'm with you for the ride

by bencutio



Category: Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types, Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare
Genre: (not actually. death in the fic but a description of canon events), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canonical Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-16
Updated: 2014-12-16
Packaged: 2018-03-01 17:26:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2781590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bencutio/pseuds/bencutio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>soulmate: a person with whom you have a distinct connection with; when you meet, you start to question whether you ever truly felt love before loving them.</p><p>written for the 2014 Bencutio Exchange.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i'm with you for the ride

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: reincarnation

_soulmate: a person with whom you have a distinct connection with; when you meet, you start to question whether you ever truly felt love before loving them._

__

Verona--

Benvolio couldn’t believe the sight in front of him. Mercutio, blood flooding out of his chest and into the street, trying to make puns, like it would all be okay. As if it would ever be okay. He knew that Mercutio didn’t believe in true love, or in happy endings, but _damnit_ , Mercutio was supposed to be _his_ happily ever after. The thing about love stories, though, was that they didn’t always have happy endings. It was time Benvolio learned that.

****  
  


Albany, New York--

Coffee was the only thing on Ben's mind at eight in the morning, not unlike most other university students. In dire need of something caffeinated, he headed towards his usual café, only to find that it was closed. With a sigh, Ben resorted to going to the Starbucks across the road. It's not that he didn't like Starbucks, exactly -- just that it wasn't the same.

The Starbucks line nearly reached the door, but Ben almost instantaneously decided he'd rather wait and have coffee, than go without. So, he got in line behind an older man dressed in a dark suit, and prepared himself for a long morning. After a few moments, a group of what looked like high school students walked into the store and joined the barely-budging lineup. Though he was older, Ben couldn't help but feel a flash of fear -- young teenagers, especially in groups, were _damn_ scary. He just wanted to get his coffee and get out. The looks of that were unlikely, though: the line still hadn't shifted in nearly ten minutes. _This_ was why Ben detested Starbucks.

After a long minute of listening to the group behind him gossip and discuss frappuccino types, Ben noticed the line _finally_ moving a little bit. He shuffled forward with the rest of the line, hoping for his wait to soon be over. A few people who had already gotten their drinks pushed past Ben to leave the shop, bracing themselves for the rain outside. One of them - a university student, by the looks of it - tripped a little, and his coffee went cascading to the ground. Immediately, Ben stepped out of line and rushed to help the stranger, stopping to grab a handful of napkins from the nearest table. He bent down and pressed the napkins into the hot puddle in a feeble attempt to mop it up, without much success.

“Thanks,” Ben looked up to see the stranger smiling down at him, cheeks burning a bright red. “I’m not normally clumsy. I don’t know how this happened.”

“No problem,” Ben replied, still staring at the other boy. Though he couldn’t place it, Ben swore he knew this guy from somewhere. Maybe they had had a class together or something, but he wasn’t sure. “Do we know each other? You look familiar.”

“I...don’t know,” he replied, “I feel the same way, but I’m actually just visiting a friend right now. I don’t live here. My name’s Mercutio, though. You?” Mercutio held out a hand.

“Ben,” he said, shaking Mercutio’s hand. When they touched, he got butterflies in his stomach, for reasons he couldn’t figure out. “I guess I would recognize someone if they had a name as unique as Mercutio, but I still feel like I know you.” By then, an employee had started to mop up the rest of the spill, and Ben’s spot in the line had disappeared completely. _Oh, well_ , he thought, _I’ll just get some coffee later_.

****  
  


~~~~~~~

****  
  


Mercutio was _exhausted_. His flight hadn’t gotten in until _six_ in the morning, and of course, the second he got his well-deserved coffee, he tripped and spilled it everywhere. The guy who had helped him clean it up was cute, though. Too bad Mercutio didn’t get his number. There was something about him, though, that Mercutio couldn’t forget. Something that happened when they made eye contact, like they already _knew_ each other, but it was impossible. It’s not like this guy, this Ben, was his _soulmate_ or anything. Mercutio didn’t even believe in true love. Which, turns out, was just _perfect_ , seeing as he was going to have to spend the next week watching his best friend, Jules, and her boyfriend, being all cutesy and in love. Disgusting. He couldn’t complain much, though -- he and Jules had been planning this visit for _months_. It’s not her fault she ended up meeting some dude just in time for Mercutio’s visit. With a sigh, he headed down the road to the park they were all supposed to meet at.

A smile broke out on Mercutio’s face when he saw his best friend approaching, dragging the boy Mercutio assumed to be her boyfriend behind her.

“Mercutio!” Jules yelled, running towards him. Mercutio opened his arms, barely quick enough to catch the girl who jumped into them, flinging her arms around his neck.

“Hey, Jules,” he laughed. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?” The man in question was standing behind them, looking a little surprised at the sight of Mercutio.

“I’m Romeo. From what Jules has told me, I didn’t expect you to be so…” He started.

“Short? I get that a lot.”

“Not that it’s a bad thing,” Romeo blurted, “I mean, lots of people are short. Jules is like, the same height as you. She just said you were sort of, I don’t know, aggressive?”

“Again, I get that a lot. Big personality, small person, whatever you want to say. Important thing is, if you hurt Jules, I can and _will_ fuck you up. Promise.” Mercutio smiled.

“I can’t tell if this is a joke,” Romeo said, not quite sounding like a question.

“You can never tell with him,” Jules answered with a laugh. “Come on, weren’t we going to take Mercutio out for lunch with your roommate?”

After a moment, the three started to make their way to a nearby sushi restaurant. On their walk, Mercutio learned everything important about Romeo, and he and Jules caught up on everything new they hadn’t already mentioned in their weekly Skype calls. He stopped himself from mentioning Ben, though. He couldn’t risk Jules thinking he’d become a secret romantic or something.

The sushi place was small and friendly-looking, and the trio was seated, but declined the offer of menus until Romeo’s roommate arrived.

“He’s pretty cute,” Jules said, “but I don’t know if he’s into guys. Romeo?”

“He is,” Romeo answered, “but we don’t really talk about things like that. I don’t know if you’re his type, Mercutio.”

Mercutio said, “It doesn’t matter -- I’m not looking for a relationship. Besides, I’m only here for a week.” The look Jules gave him in reply made him suddenly realize what this was all about. “Oh, no. No, no, no,” he exclaimed. “Jules, you are _not_ setting me up with your boyfriend’s roommate as a ploy to try and get me to settle down. I’m not going to _fall in love_ and see fireworks and shit, and move to Albany to be with my _soulmate_.”

Just then, Romeo stood up and waved at someone behind Mercutio. He turned, and was shocked to see the guy from Starbucks approaching.

“Mercutio, this is my best friend and roommate, Ben. Ben, this is Jules’ best friend, Mercutio.” Romeo introduced them, and Ben gave Mercutio a little shrug, as if to say _life’s funny, isn’t it?_ Mercutio smiled at him, and wondered what the chances were of this happening. He supposed that life was just full of coincidences.

****  
  


Dinner passed uneventfully, and soon the four of them headed back to Romeo and Ben’s apartment to hang out for a little while. It was a nice place, though Mercutio could barely see it through the piles of clothes and pizza boxes on the floor. So basically, it was what could be expected of college students. Jules and Romeo were in the kitchen, getting drinks, or probably making out, which left Ben and Mercutio alone in the living room. Mercutio sank onto the couch, while Ben put a book on the ground to make room for himself on beside Mercutio.

“So,” Ben started.

Mercutio interrupted him. “I’m going to be blunt here. I can’t shake this fucking feeling -- _why_ does it feel like there’s something between us. I felt it at that Starbucks, I felt it at dinner, I’m feeling it now. It’s _impossible_ for there to be anything. We don’t even know each other.”

“You say that,” Ben said, “but _you’re_ the one who keeps bringing it up. You say it’s impossible, that we feel like we know each other, that we feel a connection, but you’re the one who won’t let it rest. Jules and Romeo leave the room for a _minute_ , and it’s the first thing you mention. Why?”

Mercutio hesitated at that. Why _did_ he keep mentioning it?

“I just, I hate that there’s something going on and I can’t figure it out,” he said.

“Do you believe in soulmates?” He looked up, meeting Ben’s eyes.

“No,” Mercutio answered, without much pause.

“Are you being honest?” With one hand, Ben reached forward and held Mercutio’s.

Mercutio surged forward and kissed him in reply.

 

**Author's Note:**

> i'm a little bit (a lot) in love with the idea of two characters being so _right_ for each other, that they can find one another no matter the time, place, or situation. the idea of two people being so perfect that every time they meet, they feel it. they know there's something special between them. even when they can't place it.


End file.
